A Sea Of Red

At the risk of provoking the wrath of Sly...

Jim Toman is putting his mark on Liberty baseball. His first recruiting class will need a make a mark as the Flames try to replace six position starters and all the rotation members.

Quotables

"We will be much better defensively this season," said Liberty head coach Jim Toman. "We need our new guys to step up on the mound and at the plate to be competitive. If we stay healthy, we have a chance to play in a regional."

"Jim is doing a good job and will take their recruiting up a notch," said a college coach. "He was left with some decent players and he will continue to sign better athletes to take them to the next level."

Offense

Liberty has just three returning starters. First baseman Cody Brown (.341/9/52) and catcher Errol Hollinger (.319/8/47) are the top returning hitters. Other experienced options include outfielders Jeff Jefferson (.286/0/16), Tim Rotola (.281/0/15), Doug Bream (.329/2/18), and Joseph Feeley (.275/1/16).

Newcomers to watch include Arizona Western JC transfer second baseman P.J. Jimenez, freshman third baseman Tyler Bream, freshman shortstop Matt Williams, Bakersfield College transfer outfielder Casey Brown, freshman infielder John Long, and outfielder Curran Redal.

Pitching

Without the three rotation members, Liberty will lean on Dustin Umberger (8-3/3.80), Steven Evans (3-3/4.07/3 svs), and Young Harris JC transfer Mark Swanson as probable starters.

The two-way player Redal, a Wenatchee Valley College transfer, may be the closer. Redal's Wenatchee Valley College teammate Zane Bator, junior Shawn Teufel, Tyler Light (2-2/5.44), and Andrew Wilson (2-3/5.01) are other bullpen options.

Schedule

Liberty opens in Mobile against Ole Miss, Mercer, and South Alabama. There are four ACC teams on the midweek schedule. In Big South play, they host Charleston Southern, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville, Winthrop, and Radford. They visit High Point, VMI, Gardner-Webb, and Coastal Carolina.

Best Non-Conference Series: Coca-Cola Classic vs Ole Miss, South Alabama, and Mercer

Best Midweek Opponents: North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, James Madison, Duke

What to watch for

Liberty added two members to its coaching staff. Garrett Quinn joined the staff as the Flames' pitching coach, replacing Scott Jackson, who moved to North Carolina. Billy Daniels is the new Baseball Operations Director, filling a newly created position ... Jeff Jefferson was named to the All-Valley Summer League first team this summer where he led the league with 59 hits, placed second with 38 runs, and shared second in total bases with 94.

Strengths: Rotation; Talented newcomers

Weaknesses: Inexperience; Bullpen

Final Analysis

Liberty has a mix of experienced players and talented newcomers. The newbies need to come through for the Flames to contend with Coastal Carolina in the Big South.

Prediction

Liberty will once again finish near the top of the Big South and be one of the favorites to win the conference tournament.

http://sebaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=899648

can't wait to see the JMU vs Liberty game, the baseball field here is right across the street.